Looking back 50 years

[whole diary]

[grahame]

It's interesting to look back and learn how things were done half a century ago - what's different and what's the same. And looking back also gives food for thought and can include some valuable lessons.  First of  series of images from the British Rail (Western region) timetable that was in force exactly 50 years ago

[SandTEngineer]

I remember that signalling work being done.  At Paddington the station was closed off half at a time, with a reduced train service using the other half, and some services starting/terminating at Ealing Broadway.  The signalbox they don't mention was of course Old Oak Common, at the time the largest panel signalbox on the former BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) Western Region.

[4064ReadingAbbey]

I remember that signalling work being done.  At Paddington the station was closed off half at a time, with a reduced train service using the other half, and some services starting/terminating at Ealing Broadway.  The signalbox they don't mention was of course Old Oak Common, at the time the largest panel signalbox on the former BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) Western Region.

I remember this work too! On one occasion I returned to Uni in London from Reading and the train terminated at Kensington Olympia.
Then when the Paddington approaches were reworked again in the late 1980s (?) I thought 'Why are they doing that? It's only just been rebuilt'.